On Thursday, June 25th, The School at Springbrook honored the Class of 2020 with a virtual ceremony. We are pleased to bring you all 11 students over the coming week, and a look at what made this class so special!
Reagan is an energetic and compassionate young lady. Over her years at The School at Springbrook, Reagan has become a more confident and outgoing person and has worked hard to develop her communication skills. In her free time, Reagan enjoys listening and dancing to Beyoncé. She loves going for walks, sitting in the yard, and making delicious recipes. Reagan and her family have chosen to remain with the Springbrook Community after graduating from the Golisano Center for Autism at The School at Springbrook. She will be moving into a community home where she can broaden her knowledge of independent living. Reagan has excelled at communicating things she would like by use of her iPad and picture tokens. Reagan marches to the beat of her own drum and has a great time doing it.
The School at Springbrook is proud to present Reagan with the award for most artistic.
When Derrick isn’t walking or biking, you can find him spending time with his family. Derrick is a friendly and energetic young man who enjoys almost anything that keeps him moving. In the classroom, Derrick enjoys puzzles, matching, math worksheets, and has excelled at using his communication device and memorizing his own schedule. After graduating from the GEMS Program at The School at Springbrook, Derrick would like to attend a day habilitation program to build his knowledge and further master his communication skills. Marian Roselli, one of Derrick’s teachers at Springbrook, shared a memory of Derrick overhearing staff talking about a cartoon, and then sometime later, after lunch, Derrick, with his free time typed the name of the cartoon mentioned. “It truly made me realize that just because we don’t always think students are listening or are interested, they are.” Derrick is intelligent and has a great future ahead of him.
The School at Springbrook is proud to present Derrick with the award for best dressed.
Danny is always full of energy and willing to do whatever is asked of him. He loves hugs, and has an infectious smile and laugh that can put a smile on anyone’s face. Daniel is an energetic and persistent young man with a passion for working toward his desires. Over his years at The School at Springbrook, Daniel has shined at expressing things and places he would like to see. In Daniel’s free time, he enjoys cooking, baking, and following recipes from books or videos that he finds online. When Daniel isn’t creating delicious food in the kitchen, he enjoys going for walks, painting, and listening to music. After graduating from the Golisano Center for Autism at The School at Springbrook, Daniel will be moving to a Springbrook Community Home, where he can do all his favorite things. Congratulations Daniel!
The School at Springbrook is proud to present Daniel with the award for most likely to be a baker.
Beatrice is an entertainer. She happily stands in front of a crowd to sing, dance, or share her thoughts and opinions. Beatrice loves music. She plays many instruments and sings her favorite songs with her peers. Beatrice is a bubbly and confident young lady. Since her time at The School at Springbrook, Beatrice has made the most improvement in her social interaction skills and has made so many new friends! Outside of the classroom, you can find Beatrice sitting outside in the grass, listening to all her favorite songs, socializing with friends, and watching recordings of Grey Fox Bluegrass festivals. After graduating from the Golisano Center for Autism at The School at Springbrook, Beatrice is excited to enjoy Grey Fox Bluegrass festivals with her family over the summers and also making some new friends. Best wishes from Springbrook on wherever life takes you, Beatrice.
The School at Springbrook is proud to present Beatrice with the award for the best dancer.
Proud, charismatic, and easy-going are just a few of John’s characteristics. In his time at The School at Springbrook, he has excelled at learning to get attention for things he needs and has a great sense of independence as he zips through the halls. John enjoys working on speech activities and outside the classroom enjoys being close with friends and family, and is always ecstatic to share his love for his favorite movie, Shrek, with anyone who will watch with him. After graduating from the GEMS Program at The School at Springbrook, John is moving to a Springbrook Community Home and is excited to join a day habilitation program to keep himself busy. John has quite the personality, and many friends and staff at Springbrook share that their favorite memories with John usually include his singing and dancing when he is excited and happy. With the skills and tools John has worked on at Springbrook and his positivity and happiness, John will do great things.
The School at Springbrook is proud to present John with the award for most charismatic.
Dominic loves playgrounds and amusement parks where he can ride his favorite type of thrill rides—roller coasters. When he isn’t at an amusement park, you can find Dominic watching videos of the amusement park rides. After graduating from the GEMS Program at The School at Springbrook, Dominic will be moving into a Springbrook Community Home and continue working on his skills in a day habilitation setting. Dominic is also incredibly excited to engage in volunteer activities in the community where he can help with a hands on approach. Dominic is a determined, easy-going, and curious young man. His creativity and love of hands-on activities and science experiments stem from his curiosity. From day trips to Howe Caverns to planetariums, Dominic is always ready to discover and explore all the great things life has to offer.
The School at Springbrook is proud to present Dominic with the award for best class prankster.
With his years in the GEMS Program at The School at Springbrook, Louis has excelled at communication, conversation, scheduling, and advancing his independence. Louis has become an inquisitive, brilliant, and inspiring young man. Outside of the classroom, you’ll find Louis taking walks and doing one of his favorite pastimes—reading, and memorizing car registration dates and inspections. Louis is fascinated with researching different makes and models of cars, and has always been happy to share with staff if their inspection is close to expiring! When first arriving at Springbrook, Louis would primarily speak few words to identify his needs, but today has built his communication skills and speaks with others in full conversations. After graduation, Louis hopes to find a home where he can enjoy his independence.
The School at Springbrook is proud to present Louis with the award for most inquisitive.
Jonathan is energetic and social. Jonathan has made tremendous progress with using a communication device to tell others what he needs and has learned several other skills like tying his shoes and selecting weather appropriate clothing. In school, Jonathan enjoys home economics where he enjoys cooking and baking, and following recipes, and making his own culinary creations. Outside of class Jonathan enjoys listening to music, playing basketball, eating Chinese Food (his favorite!), and spending time with his family and friends. Jonathan is an athlete and in his time at The School at Springbrook he has learned how to dribble a basketball and a soccer ball as a member of the Special Olympics program. After graduating from of the Golisano Center for Autism at The School at Springbrook, Jonathan wants to spend a lot of time with his family and intends to keep active, and still compete in Special Olympic sports. Jonathan has grown into an independent and determined young man with the support of his staff, his teachers, his school team, and his family. His Springbrook family is so proud of him and are very excited about what the future may hold for Jonathan.
We are proud to present Jonathan with the award for most athletic.
Since coming to Springbrook, Ryan has increased his communication skills and participation in conversation and activities. Ryan has also gotten more comfortable asking for help when a situation is unfamiliar. He is a funny and caring young man with a lot of energy. In class, Ryan enjoys math worksheets, practicing fast facts, and home economics. Outside of the classroom, Ryan enjoys music, playing with his dog Buster, and Nascar! Ryan has a competitive edge and takes his game playing seriously. When he wins, he is sure to announce it and enjoys his peers clapping and praising him for a job well done. After graduating from the GEMS Program at The School at Springbrook, Ryan will be staying with his father and attending day habilitation to further work on his abilities. Congratulations, Ryan, on a job well done!
The School at Springbrook is proud to present Ryan with the award for best laugh.
Ronald has made so much progress since he first came to Springbrook. He has exponentially increased his ability to communicate his needs vocally and with gestures. Ronald is an expressive, outgoing, and caring young man who you’ll always see smiling. In school, Ronald is always moving around interacting with his peers and staff. Outside of classes, Ronald enjoys watching cars drive by and enjoys big trucks—he has attended a few Monster Truck shows and loves them. Ronald enjoys his mother’s cooking and loves listening to his sister sing to him. After graduating from the GEMS Program at The School at Springbrook, Ronald will be staying at Springbrook until his younger Sharon graduates so they can stay together. Ronald will do great things. Congratulations Ronald!
The School at Springbrook is proud to present Ronald with the award for most sociable.
Triston is an intuitive, caring, and inspirational young man. One of Triston’s big personality traits is being helpful. Triston loves school and is happy to be working on anything, whether it be goal work, cleaning up messes, or helping to put stock items away. As long as Triston had staff with him to experience a moment together, you could hardly name an activity that he doesn’t enjoy. “Together” is a special and frequent sign language word in Triston’s vocabulary. Outside of school, you’ll find Triston watching his favorite TV show, SpongeBob, or spending time with his family and pets. Triston goes to the County Fair every year with his family, and also enjoys camping with his family as well! He enjoys playing games at Grandma’s and listening to the radio. After graduating from the GEMS Program at The School at Springbrook, Triston will attend a day habilitation program and further build upon his skills. He has a servant’s heart, and he loves his fellow man so much.
The School at Springbrook is proud to present Triston with the award for most likely to cheer you up. He is also the NYS Attorney General “Triple C” Award winner for The School at Springbrook Class of 2020!